


if I could just-

by ElasticElla



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Canon, F/F, Femslash February, mentioned ships: malec & jimon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-28
Updated: 2016-02-28
Packaged: 2018-05-23 18:28:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6126013
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ElasticElla/pseuds/ElasticElla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabelle's having trouble sleeping, and enlists her favorite magical apprentice to help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	if I could just-

**Author's Note:**

> so the alt canon where jocelyn died & magnus promised to keep clary safe, so she grew up with him and knows how to do magic that's possible for her

Isabelle is getting dressed with purpose. Which in itself, isn't that out of the ordinary, but this is the fourth perfect outfit she's tried on, and none of them are good enough. She wants something seductive, but not in her usual way, in more of a 'you should consider exclusively dating me way', with a side of 'and maybe we could make out? Like tonight?'

She settles for a little gold dress, toning it down a smidge with her brown leather jacket. It's the closest to casual she's going to get, and grabbing her wallet, Izzy sneaks out of the institute before Alec can try to get her to help with paperwork or some other boring thing. (She thought him finally getting laid would help chill Alec out, and she was sorely disappointed to find out this wasn't the case.)

Isabelle enters _Bane's Brews_ with a spring in her step. Today was the day. She wasn't going to wimp out, she was going to just-

“Izzy!” Clary greets her with a quick hug. “I'm so glad you're here, I just finished your sleep aid dust this morning.” 

“Great, how do I use it?” 

“It needs to be spilled on your blankets in, one sec,” Clary says, grabbing a packet. “this shape. I can schedule Magnus to stop by-”

“Nonsense,” Izzy says, “you're the best artist I know. I'm sure you can do it.” 

Clary flushes a bit, winding a curl of hair around her finger. “Okay- but! If I mess up, you're gonna have to pay Magnus's regular visit price.” 

Izzy smirks, checking that the shop's empty before saying, “If it comes to that, I'll let my brother cover the costs.” 

Clary giggles, “Alright, I have to get back to a potion. I'll stop by around nine?” 

Isabelle grins, “Nine's perfect, thank you Clary.” 

.

Isabelle floats home, re-cleaning her room three times before getting to the paperwork she'd been putting off earlier. She tries baking some cookies, and well, when even Jace won't eat any she knows not to offer them to Clary. Brushing off the boys' teasing, she changes into her silk pajama set. It's purely for aesthetics- it's always too warm to sleep in- but it makes her look like an old movie star. 

For the last half hour, Izzy alternates between trying and failing to read, and putting up as many silencing runes as she can without looking presumptuous or like she snores really loudly. God, dating Meliorn was never this stressful, and she and Clary haven't even been on an actual date yet. 

Clary comes at 9:03, and thankfully Izzy brings her up to her bedroom without either of the boys stopping them. (She's pretty sure she owes Alec a nice present, maybe a new set of arrows.)

“The first night the dust will be strongest, and after a week the residue will be gone.”

“Cool,” Izzy says. “Do you need anything else or…?” 

Clary looks up suddenly, “Oh, no, I'll start.” 

Clary transfers all the silver dust into her hand, and she drips a thin line over Izzy's sheets. There's a large circle, and a polygon with too many sides for Izzy to count easily, and a few swirling flourishes around the edges. 

“There,” Clary finally declares, standing up straight as the dust sinks into her sheets. 

Izzy steps closer, and if she squints she can see what looks like the design embroidered in faint silver. 

“It'll completely fade when the dust runs out," Clary assures her, but Izzy wouldn't have minded the design staying. It's pretty, prettier than she thought magic would be. 

“Huh, that's it?” 

Clary laughs lightly, “Most of magic's trickiness is in the preparation. Wanna test it out?” 

Isabelle's eyes widen before it clicks that Clary means for _her_ to try it out not both of them, but Izzy already nodded. So she slips under the covers, smiling up at Clary. 

“How's it feel?” 

“Safe,” Isabelle muses, “heavy.” 

"Good, I'll stay for a bit in case-" 

And then the sheet's new magic works, and Isabelle falls asleep. 

.

Izzy wakes up at nine am, after nearly a dozen hours of sleep, and it's the best she's slept in months. There's a note on her side table from Clary, and Izzy picks it up with a growing grin. 

_Izzy-_  
_You've been sleeping soundly for the first half hour (when nightmares would most likely hit if the dust were corrupted). I hope the rest of your night passed well. Come to the shop if you need anything else._  
_-Clary_

Isabelle makes herself pancakes for breakfast, and the second batch doesn't even taste burnt. (Alec still complains, but Alec complains about everything. Jace eats them silently, and is her favorite brother of the morning.)

Saving humanity is much easier on a full night's sleep, and Isabelle's whip slices through demon after demon without a single blow landing on her. She rolls her shoulders and neck when her pendant stops pulsing, and Izzy feels like she could single-handedly take out a den of spider demons. 

Instead, when Jace goes to visit his secret-but-not-that-secret-jesus-when-is-he-going-to-tell-us-already vampire boyfriend and Alec dutifully goes back to the institute to write up their report, Isabelle decides to pick up some flowers. Isabelle's never bought flowers for someone before, and the selection at the nearest shop her phone finds takes her by surprise. It's not that dating is new to Izzy, but wooing certainly is. Usually it's just momentary seduction, or being the one wooed. Spotting a large bouquet of calla lilies, ranging from purple to white, she thinks she could get used to this. 

Next time, Isabelle is skipping the gorgeous heavy glass vase (for just $15 more!) because at this rate, she's going to be sweaty and in less than perfect condition when she sees Clary. Half a block from _Bane's Brews_ Izzy stops to touch up her make up, and with an easier smile, she starts walking again. 

The bell rings as she goes in, and she immediately hears a falsely chipper, “Welcome to _Bane's Brews_ , how can I help you?” 

Izzy snorts, placing the vase on the counter. “I didn't know you played shopkeeper. I would have thought it was too lowly for the High Warlock of Brooklyn.” 

Magnus sighs, twirling a dramatic hand through the air, “ _Someone_ insisted on at least one free day a month. And flowers doll? You shouldn't have, I love them.”

Taking out her stele, Isabelle lightly carves Clary's name into the vase. “Nice try.” 

Magnus pouts, “I _am_ Clary's guardian, I could forbid her from seeing you.” 

Isabelle laughs, and Magnus sighs, adding, “Yes, I suppose that would only make her want to date you more.” 

“Aw, cheer up, I'll send Alec over later- I think we're running low on some infirmary materials.” 

A pleased smile lights up Magnus's face, and Isabelle is _so_ great at this wooing thing. Well indirect wooing, but whatever- Magnus said Clary wanted to date her. Everything is awesome. 

.

Isabelle crawls under her silver tinted sheets, anticipation and excitement running through her. Tomorrow, tomorrow she would ask Clary out for real and nothing would get in the way. Izzy spends the next twenty minutes deciding what exactly she should propose as a date- when she realizes she isn't sleeping. 

Staring up at the ceiling, she figures Clary did say it'd get weaker every day… so she'll probably pass out. Soon. 

Very soon. 

…

At five-thirty in the morning, Izzy gives up and gets dressed. If she's not going to sleep she mine as well do something productive like practice her knife throws this morning.

The day drags on, and Izzy tries not to have a shorter temper. She's annoyed that she's even tired, maybe she didn't sleep last night, but the excessive sleep from the night before should have counted for something. 

Exhausted, she crawls into bed early, at eight. But the moment she slips under the sheets, she feels more awake than ever- _and that makes no goddamn sense_. Closing her eyes, Isabelle tries to imagine their team taking down a greater demon. 

Usually, she's asleep before her brain figures out a way to plausibly kill it. Things are not looking good, and Isabelle's eyes snap open and cut over to her alarm clock. It's two in the morning, making it way too late to call Clary and ask why the hell the sheets aren't working. 

(Also, she needs sleep before she does that so she doesn't say something she regrets. Or, maybe just a really big coffee.)

.

Isabelle sends Clary a text at nine, after two cups of espresso and a mug of hot chocolate. 

Clary calls back a second later, and Isabelle clicks accept to hear, “ _What do you mean the sheets haven't been working for two days?_ ” 

“Good morning Clary, how are you?”

“Fine, I'll be better when you explain.” 

“They only worked the first time. I haven't slept since then.” 

“I'm coming over,” Clary grumbles, “stupid proud shadowhunters, you should have told me yesterday.”

And Clary's hung up before Isabelle can point out that technically she's a shadowhunter too. 

Izzy's tidying up her room when Clary comes in- and really, how did her room get so messy after just two days?

Clary immediately starts inspecting the sheets, hands on her hips. “You can't be fighting things on no sleep Izzy. That's how you get hurt.” 

“I-”

“Shut up, get under the covers,” Clary says, “I'm going to figure this out.” 

Izzy does, and it's really only luck that her brain to mouth filter is still working on no sleep, because she could _so_ get into Clary ordering her around. Looking up at Clary, her heart swells, and it doesn't matter if this is a bad time, she needs to-

.

Isabelle wakes up at two pm, disoriented. Clary's sitting on a nearby armchair, a big book of potions on her lap. 

“Wha- what happened?” she asks, discretely wiping her mouth. 

“I talked to Magnus,” Clary starts, eyes avoiding Izzy's. “Um, apparently sleep magic is highly influenced by emotions, and can be distorted by them.” 

Izzy bites down on the start of a smile, “And?” 

Clary blushes, “I'll have Magnus come and fix it-”

Izzy laughs, “No- I mean that would be great. But I was wondering about your feelings, because I thought the flowers made mine clear.”

“Oh!” Clary's eyes go wide, “Um, me too?” 

“Good,” Isabelle says, and slowly inches closer to Clary, placing a delicate kiss on her lips. And then Clary's kissing her back, and everything is awesome.


End file.
